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Moncivaiz, Book Review   29 
 

Book Review 

 

Call for Justice: From Practice to Theory and Back.  
By Kurt Ver Beek and Nicholas P. Wolterstorff 

 
Reviewed by Benji Moncivaiz 

 
 

 
 

Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2019. $26.00 

 

 

In an exchange of letters between practitioner Kurt 

Ver Beek, co-founder of the Association for a More 

Just Society (ASJ), and philosopher Nicholas P. 

Wolterstorff, Call for Justice unpacks what it means to 

pursue justice by balancing examples of people doing 

justice work with the theoretical and theological 

frameworks that support it. The book primarily uses the 

work of ASJ in Honduras as its case study. Ver Beek 

presents the work of ASJ, and Wolterstorff comments 

on the philosophical and theological aspects of that 

work. Overall, the book makes a case to build up 

government systems, rather than simply pointing fingers 

or addressing brief episodes of need. 

The book is divided into five sections. Though the 

concept of power is not directly acknowledged by the 

authors, it is the fundamental issue explored in the 

opening section about the role of missionaries, 

government, politics, and corruption in ASJ’s work. 

The authors note that government is established as a gift 

from God to secure justice for its people. 

Understanding the fundamental identity of government 

as being good, Ver Beek explains three distinct roles 

present in ASJ’s work with the Honduran government: 

prophet, priest, and king. Any Christian organization 

that works closely with government needs to be 

carefully inspected, and the trio of roles helps readers 

appreciate the delicate, multi-faceted balance ASJ 

strikes. By leaning on powerful, data-driven research, 

ASJ mobilizes public pressure on the government by 

bringing injustices into the light, often critiquing the 

government’s policies and/or behaviors. ASJ then 

stands alongside relevant government institutions to 

address these critiques, making no distinction or 

discrimination among political parties. This dual role of 

auditor and assistant to whichever party is in power is a 

unique approach to justice work that makes ASJ’s 

model both confusing and special. ASJ helps the 

government perform its job better and create a stronger 

and more just Honduras. Unlike many Christian 

NGOs’ approaches to development that focus on 

specific sectors of need, like economic empowerment, 

agriculture, education, or health, this book, and ASJ 

itself, begins by focusing on the deeper issues in a 

country, like the uses and abuses of political power.  

The book moves on to consider the interaction 

between justice, love, and forgiveness. How can 

someone love their neighbor, one of our two greatest 

commandments, while at the same time demanding 

that people be punished for their wrongs, and 

simultaneously valuing the need for forgiveness? To 

walk us through this complex conundrum, Wolterstorff 

helpfully explains the difference between first-order 

justice – when we are in ordinary right relations to each 

other – and second-order justice – when an action is 

taken to address a violation of first-order justice. He 

goes on to explore the various ways to understand 

punishment’s role within second-order justice – in 

retribution, reform, deterrence, protection, and as a 

public proclamation of what is right and wrong. 

Coupled with Ver Beek’s follow up examples of when 

ASJ has simultaneously sought forgiveness and 

punishment, this discussion about justice and 

punishment helps readers better understand the 

relationship between punishment and forgiveness. The 

authors add that an emotional response is required for 

justice work. Empathy toward the person wronged is the 

first emotion required, but this alone is insufficient. If 

we are to be stirred to action, empathy must be 

accompanied by anger. Anger toward injustice is not 

only acceptable, but is actually as necessary as empathy. 

Ver Beek unpacks some of the nuances of these 

emotions and the role of forgiveness by sharing his own 

response to the murder of one of his friends and fellow 



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 2(1),  Summer 2020 

Moncivaiz, Book Review   30 
 

staff members, Dionisio. In a book about justice, it 

makes sense to include the role of emotion, but it is also 

a topic about which I wish the authors had taken more 

time to answer a few more questions: For example, 

where in Scripture do we see the necessity for, and 

limitations of, emotion? Can God use someone to fight 

for justice even if they are not angry?  

The third section explores various theoretical 

pillars that support ASJ’s approach and its on-the-

ground strategies. Coalitions create credibility, strength, 

and a larger voice for diverse stakeholders who are then 

unified under a common goal. Wolterstorff argues that 

understanding justice through the lens and language of 

“rights” enables us to explain the aims of justice in more 

specific terms and explain why people become angry 

when they are linked with injustice. The section ends 

with an encouragement to maintain our vision of 

shalom – of peace and flourishing. 

The fourth section explores ASJ’s Christian 

identity, the Church, and its relationship to social 

justice. ASJ’s vision is rooted in bringing about God’s 

desire for shalom in the world. ASJ’s staff and programs 

model the values that Jesus lived and taught. Ver Beek 

and Wolterstorff take turns exploring why the pursuit 

of justice has been met with resistance in the church – 

reasons that stem from different translations of the 

Greek word as “righteousness” rather than “justice,” the  

perception that justice is supplanted in the New 

Testament by a different love and righteousness, and a 

conservative aversion to talking about people’s rights, 

which seem to have liberal connotations. For those well-

versed in philosophy and theology, the discussion here 

might seem overly simplistic, but for me, not having 

such a foundation, I found these chapters illuminating, 

because I learned how the Church should and can 

present a unified front in fighting for social justice.   

The final section discusses how the ASJ model 

applies elsewhere, outside of Honduras. In some 

countries, a populism fueled by suspicion and 

resentment creates division between people and 

prevents a working relationship with government 

agencies. This challenges the ASJ model, which intends 

to strengthen and improve government bodies. The 

authors explain that while each context will demand 

modification of the model, one common feature in 

many countries is the likelihood of distrust in public 

institutions that leads to instability and weak systems of 

justice. It is thus possible generally to apply ASJ’s basic 

model of gathering good evidence, publicizing it, 

holding government accountable, and also walking 

alongside government institutions to help them 

implement change. The book ends with a final call to 

build up and improve public institutions, rather than 

limiting ourselves to criticizing and tearing them down. 

Ver Beek notes that government employees are 

influenced by their environment and the nudges they 

encounter every day; under certain conditions, many 

can be influenced to behave either ethically or 

corruptly. ASJ tries to create conditions that bring out 

the best in people.  By so doing, it works to rebuild 

institutions to be healthier so that people have more 

reason to do the right thing, which ultimately leads to 

better government systems that are better able to care 

for everyone in the country.   

While most books focus on either theory or real-

life practice, this book does both. The authors’ personal 

experiences with justice work, the breakdown of the 

ASJ model into its key parts, and integration of ASJ’s 

work into larger global concepts of justice, rights, and 

other global movements successfully make a way for the 

lessons learned at ASJ to be applied on the global stage 

and in Christians’ personal lives. The simultaneous 

exploration of the theory and practice of justice is useful 

for readers who want to become better informed on the 

promotion of justice from a Christian perspective. 

While the book’s treatment of complex topics of 

punishment, rights, populism, and social justice is 

focused on the particulars of ASJs work in Honduras, it 

nevertheless provides a general and helpful narrative 

that integrates these important Christian themes into a 

powerful analysis, thus providing readers with 

encouragement and a sense of direction. 
 

 

 

 

Benji Moncivaiz coordinates the Faith and Public 

Integrity Network. He consults for new and growing 

Christian nonprofits that work towards deeper 

discipleship of the church and widespread change 

in society. 

 

Author email:  benji@cardumenconsulting.com   

 
 

 

 

mailto:benji@cardumenconsulting.com

